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Acute abdominal pain from a zoonosis in Australia

Ajinkya Bhonsle, Mithun Nambiar, Michael Swan and Ralph Junckerstorff
Med J Aust 2022; 217 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.51547
Published online: 6 June 2022

A 70‐year‐old man presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath on the background of a one‐week history of fevers, dysuria and headaches. His past medical history included hypercholesterolaemia and gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease. He had no history of alcohol excess and lived on a cattle farm in rural Victoria.


  • 1 Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC
  • 2 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC



Acknowledgements: 

We thank Maryza Graham (medical microbiologist and infectious diseases physician) for her advice regarding laboratory testing techniques for Leptospira at Monash Health.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Lau C, Townell N, Stephenson E, et al. Leptospirosis: an important zoonosis acquired through work, play and travel. Aust J Gen Pract 2018; 47: 105‐110.
  • 2. Herath N, Kamburapola C, Agampodi S. Severe leptospirosis and pancreatitis: a case series from a leptospirosis outbreak in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. BMC Infect Dis 2016; 16: 644.
  • 3. Lau CL, Skelly C, Dohnt M, Smythe LD. The emergence of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Arborea in Queensland, Australia, 2001 to 2013. BMC Infect Dis 2015; 15: 230.
  • 4. Australian Government Department of Health. Australian national notifiable diseases case definitions – Leptospirosis. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda‐surveil‐nndss‐casedefs‐cd_lepto.htm (viewed Aug 2021).

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